A blog of my seasonal and everyday thoughts on life and pagan spirituality

Sacred Days of Midsummer Tarot Spread

As I mentioned in my Coming Back post, I’ll be writing more about my tarot practice on the blog. Here’s a post about a spread I’ll be using this year to prepare for Midsummer/Litha/Alban Hefin or whatever you call this sacred time of the Summer Solstice!

This spread was inspired by the Sacred Days of Yule spread created by Linda J Paul at BellaOnline. I participated in a group reading using this spread this past Yule over at the wonderful Aeclectic Tarot Forum. It is a very special idea for a spread. There are 12 cards in the spread, which are laid out in a circle. But instead of laying out all 12 cards in a single sitting, the idea is that the spread is laid out over 12 days, pulling one card each day and placing it in the circle. The spread is kept up in your home for the 12 days. In this way, you create a time to reflect on the sacred season by working with the cards each day.

I had a wonderful experience participating in the group reading for Yule. And so of course, since I love Midsummer, I thought- if there is a spread like this for the winter solstice, why not one for the summer solstice?

So I did some research on different festivals and correspondences from around the world around the time of the summer solstice. I love taking a multicultural approach to tarot, and I was pleased to find concepts and celebration to draw on from around the world for this spread.

THE SPREAD

The purpose of this spread is to take the time to walk a sacred path around the time of the summer solstice, reflecting on that sacred time and attuning with the energy of the season. The layout of the spread is taken from the Sacred Days of Yule spread mentioned above. 12 cards are laid out in a circle, with one card being pulled each day over the course of the 12 days, June 14 – June 25. The layout looks like this:

And here are the positions for the 12 cards.

1. Birth of the Muses – June 14: This card shows how our inspiration and creativity is manifesting.

2. Vestalia – June 15: An ancient Roman festival dedicated to Vesta, Goddess of the Hearth. This card shows us our hearth, the fire at the center of our life and home, and how to tend to it.

3. Night of the Teardrop – June 16: Remembrance of the tears of Isis causing the Nile River to overflow. This card shows what our emotions are telling us at this time.

4. Juno, Goddess of Fertility and Union – June 17: Celebrating the ancient Roman goddess for whom the month of June is named. This card shows us an area of fertile growth in our lives.

5. Festival of Strawberries – June 18: As the strawberries ripen, this card shows us the sweetness in our lives.

6. Oak King – June 19: A dedication to the Oak King, who is now near the height of his power in his battle with the Holly King. This card shows us our strength.

7. Scrying – June 20: In the tradition of scrying at the time of Midsummer, this card shows us a blessing to come.

8. Summer Solstice – June 21: We are at the height of the sun’s power, the longest day, in the Northern Hemisphere. (If in the Southern Hemisphere, this day is the turning point for the days to get longer.) This card shows us how to shine our own light like the Sun.

9. Honey Moon – June 22: This card shows us how to release anxieties or worries, how to enjoy ourselves in this moment.

10. Saint John’s Eve – June 23: Like the herbs traditionally gathered on St. John’s Eve, this card shows what protects or heals us.

11. Guru Purnima – June 24: Indian festival of expressing gratitude to teachers. This card reminds us of a lesson we have learned, or an experience or person that has taught us something, that we should remember and have gratitude for as we move forward.

12. Parvati, Earth Mother – June 25: The card shows us how to ground ourselves and how to connect with the earth’s abundance.

I hope this spread will be useful for you on your journey during this Midsummer! If you are a member of the Aeclectic Forum (or would like to join) and want to do this reading as part of a group, please join us there for the group reading. The reading starts June 14!